Energy in the form of light can cause deleterious effects on the skin. For example, exposure to sunlight prematurely ages the skin. Exposure to UV light is responsible for the wrinkles, irregular pigmentation, redness, leathery, rough texture and weathered skin attributable to sun exposure. In addition, excessive sun exposure may increase the risk of skin cancers.
In order to minimize the damaging effect of the sun on the skin, one may choose to avoid sun exposure or use sunscreens to block sun's UV radiation from contacting the skin. However, in doing so one may inadvertently diminish the skin's ability to perform critical biochemical processes dependent on sunlight such as the manufacture of Vitamin D precursors.
Efforts have been made to transform the energy the skin absorbs in a positive fashion for beneficial use in biochemical processes. Illustratively, it has been disclosed that application of laser pulse light or light-emitting diode arrays in combination with various photosensitizers could accelerate the healing of wounds and tumors in animals and humans. See Whelan HT et al., Space Tech and App International Forum 458; 3-15:1999.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,074,499 discloses that fabric products incorporating an optically-responsive powder may provide beneficial properties to the skin and body of the subject wearing such a product. According to the patentees, the active materials for the powder include silicon, carbon, and various vitreous glasses, such as oxides of aluminum, titanium, silicon, boron, calcium, sodium, and lithium.
Recently, Huang P J et al. disclosed the use of a copper-containing peptide to improve the wound healing benefits of monochromatic red light. (Juang P J et al., Phytomed and Las Surg 25 (2007) 183-190).
Bruce M. Freedman disclosed that the topical application of polyphenolic antioxidants during intense pulsed light (IPL) treatment therapy enhances the effects of IPL treatment. See Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 8(4):254-259, 2009. However, according to the article, the antioxidants had to be delivered to the skin via aggressive means such as a crystal-free microdermabrasion technique immediately prior to each IPL treatment and also between IPL treatments.
Despite these purported advances, a need still exists for a novel composition that is effective to interact with light energy to provide a beneficial effect to the skin while at the same time is not constrained by enclosure in polymeric fibers or requires aggressive dermal abrasion techniques for its delivery. The present invention provides one answer to that need.